HOW TO HALLOWEEN

Although it is not necessary, setting at theme for a party helps pull everything together. When fall rolls around, many individuals seek out Halloween party ideas. There are a number of festivities that occur on Halloween. One of the most common festivities is that of a Halloween party. If you are looking for ideas for your next party, this article is sure to be beneficial. This year, you can try out many new ideas and concepts when hosting your party.

This way, you can maximize the potential of fun for all of your guests. In order to appropriately host a memorable party this Halloween, one of the first things that you will need to do is to establish a general theme. The theme is the most important aspect of a successful party. While many may go with a "general" theme, it is best to focus on one particular aspect when choosing the perfect theme for your party.

There are a number of unique themes that you can select from when it comes to Halloween party ideas. You may elect to set up a "haunted house" theme, or your may like the idea of a "fright night" bash. Perhaps you are thinking of more of a "monster mash" theme or a "spooky screams" theme - it is all up to you!

The theme is important because it allows you to center your festivities on a common item. Once you have selected a theme, it is important to consider the decorations that you will use for the festivities. Decorations are especially important when it comes to parties that are held on Halloween. It is essential to set a certain "look and feel" for the guests that will be attending. Once you have devoted some time to your theme, it is now time to consider the menu.

There are many different Halloween party ideas when it comes to the foods and beverages that you will make available for your party. It is important to select items that will compliment your theme, as well as the decorations that you have set up. For example, if you are going with the theme of a haunted house, you may want to create a tombstone cake, or even ghoulish punch.

These foods and beverages can really compliment a theme that surrounds the whole concept of ghosts, ghouls, and other spooky things that may be found in and/or around a haunted house. It may take a little time and consideration, but creating a memorable Halloween party can be a fun and exciting endeavor!

You can go with a general Halloween theme - or chose something wild and different. Some examples: "Ghouls Night Out" could be the theme for an all girls Halloween party; or "Witches & Warlocks Unite" could be a party where everyone has to dress up like a witch or warlock (male witch). Be creative come up with one of your own!

With a theme you can then plan invitations, decorations, refreshments and activities around the theme. If you are having a "Battle of the Bones" party you can make bone shape invitations and cookies, or hang bones from the ceiling for decorations. Having a "Pumpkin Party"? Have guests bring a carved pumpkin to help decorate and play pumpkin games. The ideas are endless so use your imagination!

If you are going to have a party you need to tell people about it. The best way to do that is through written invitations with the date, time and location of the party on it. It is a good idea to also include an RSVP so that people have to let you know if they will be attending or not.

If you are having a theme party make your own invitations that relate to the theme of the party - you can pick up ready made invitations at most stationary stores - but it's often more fun to make your own.

If you plan on using mail to send your invitations do so well before the party - if not, hand delivery is a good idea to get a quick response on your RSVP.

There's no lack of resources in October for Halloween party decorations, props and accessories! Look around the discount and novelty stores for all kinds of traditional spooky items for your party that will scare your guests silly.

Keep your eye peeled at Haunted Houses and around your city for new ideas. Someone always has a unique Halloween display that catches your eye and you can use those ideas for your own indoor or outdoor party. From traditional to new-age, here's some inexpensive decorating tips and ideas to set the creepiest mood possible:

Jack-o-Lanterns

What's Halloween without a jack-o-lantern? Find some stencils to carve or paint scary faces on your pumpkins to add the traditional touch to your party.

Candles

Use candles inside your carved jack-o-lanterns to make the faces glow. Put some dark colored candles in creepy candleholders around your snack table for a gothic touch. Use caution with open flames and make sure no costumes will come near them.

Crepe Paper

Use traditional crepe paper decoration to add Halloween colors to your party table and anywhere else you see fit.

Spider Webs

Buying fake spider webs is one of the most cost-effective decorations. They're cheap and can be found at your local discount store. You can make your own with cotton batting found in the crafts department. What's a spider web without spiders? Pick up some creepy fake spiders to add to the webs. Better yet, add some fake bugs too for your spider's victims.

Fake Blood

What's creepier than blood? You can find fake blood in the stores or make your own blood cheap! Using fake blood is better left for outdoor parties if you're concerned about any messes or staining. If you use it indoors, make sure it's contained.

 *Homemade Fake Blood: 1 c. Karo Syrup, 1 Tbsp Water, 2 Tbsp Red Food Coloring, 1 tsp Yellow Food Coloring - Mix together in a mixing bowl and you're done. Try adding blue or yellow for a different shade.

Shadows

Cut out spooky shapes such as a bat, ghost or cat in some heavy construction paper. Tape it to a flashlight and place it in a strategic position to make your guests look twice.

Sound Effects

There's plenty of tapes and CDs available with creepy sounds such as lightning, screams, banging and creaking. Use these outside or in an entryway for the element of surprise.

Lighting Effects

Use special lighting to compliment your sounds. Dim lighting is always preferable to set the spooky setting and a strobe light adds a special touch to simulate lightening. A black light sets an ominous atmosphere and can be found in most party supply stores.

Coffins

Use your imagination! You can build your own coffin with 6-8 wood pieces and place a dummy in it. Or consider having it closed and place one of those fake arms coming out of it. Add some fake blood to the side for a downright gross affect.

Scarecrows

Perfect for the Autumn season, scarecrows are fascinating to look at and add mystery to your yard. Set the atmosphere for your scarecrow by adding bales of hay, cornstalks, and Indian corn -- and he'll definitely get attention.

Tombstones

Perhaps one of the creepiest things is a tombstone with the inscription R.I.P. which is reminiscent of old-time graveyards believed to be haunted according to old myths and urban legends. You can find tombstones in the holiday section of most stores around Halloween, or make your own and add some originality!

Fog Machine

There's nothing like fog around to send chills up your spine. Most fog machines are water based and are simple to use. Just purchase and follow instructions carefully.

Set the mood and flavor for your Halloween party. From appealing to gross, it's amazing how you can make food look however you like. Quick and easy recipes will give you some spooky treats for your party and will be a hit with ghosts and goblins everywhere. If you're needing snack ideas, check out my "Tricky Treats" page. Click to view Haunted Cakes

You've got your invitations, theme, costumes and food picked out for your Halloween Party. Now, what activities are you planning to entertain your guests? Need some ideas for your special event? These activities will satisfy children and adults to ensure the best Halloween party ever.                                              

Indoor Halloween Party Activities & Games

Planning your party indoors ensures there won't be any adverse affects from the weather. Here's some fun activities and games to do when your ghosts and goblins arrive. Always have some extra games planned, in case they don't take as long as originally planned.

One idea would be to play horror movie DVD's and host a "Horror Movie Fest". For an indoor party, this one would be my favorite! I'm a horror movie buff and I'm not alone. Plus, how easy would it be to pop up tubs of buttered popcorn, have tons of little snack sized treats ready & drinks of your choice. Just remember the ages of the party attenders though. You don't want to show the really scary stuff to a roomful of children!

Crafts

The most popular thing to do is to paint and decorate pumpkins. If you do this, choose small to medium-sized pumpkins that are easy to carry, and have plenty on hand in case one of your guests make a mistake and need to start over.

You can find many magazines and party planning books that have fun Halloween crafts to make with construction paper, beads, gourds, pipe cleaner and just about anything else you can think of.

Haunted House 

This takes a lot of effort and planning. Set up your garage or part of your house for a good, old-fashioned spookfest. Enlist some volunteers to dress up as monsters, vampires, zombies, etc, to scare your guests as they venture through. Use special lighting such as strobe lights and blacklights to set the atmosphere and don't forget sound effects.

Halloween Costume Contest

This contest is a must for any Halloween Party! Choose the categories for the contest ahead of time and let your guests know well in advance so they can plan their costumes accordingly. You can hand out a certificate and prize for each category winner. 

Cooking and Baking

Bake and decorate Halloween cookies and candy. Have all recipes out and ready to go. Be prepared and and consider mixing some of it up ahead of time. Keep party favor bags handy so your guests can take home the treats.

Bobbing for Apples

One of the oldest traditional of Halloween games. The size of the tub and apples will make a considerable difference in the difficulty of the game. For children, make the apples smaller and the tub shallower. Choose a soft variety of apples, they're easier to bite into.

Pick off the stems before dropping into the water and have paper towels on hand for afterwards. Prizes are commonly awarded for those who first retrieve an apple, specially marked apples, and all of those who successfully fetch an apple. Use your imagination on this one, and you'll get some great ideas.

Outdoor Halloween Party Activities & Games

Outdoor parties are at the mercy of the weather. On your invitations, clearly state that the party will take place outdoors and that a jacket or coat may be necessary after the sun sets. Have an alternate location and activity for a backup plan and put that at the bottom of your invitation. Take every precaution necessary to ensure safety and you must consider any liability issues.

Hayride

Hayrides are traditional Halloween party fun! For those of you who live in the country, these are much easier planned. Hay racks can be pulled either by horses, a tractor, or even a pickup truck. (I don't recommend using horses, especially on a windy night. They're unpredictable and may be nervous with all of the commotion.)

Safety should be your # 1 concern. You could consider having the ride before sunset, followed by the party. Take a cell phone and first aid kit for emergency purposes.

Place dry square bales of hay or straw or hay for seating. Have plenty of blankets and flashlights on hand. Serve hot chocolate and coffee when the ride is finished to take the chill away.

Are you up to the challenge? A scavenger hunt is probably one of the most popular party games on Halloween. Not only does it get your guests out and about, it gives them the opportunity to show off their costumes.

These tips should give you some good ideas for planning your own creepy scavenger hunt on Halloween. Save your ideas and lists for future hunts or swap them with friends and neighbors next year.

Pick a Theme

You can use individual themes for your hunt, such as vampires, mummies, etc. The list will need to be according to the theme. For example, a vampire theme would have items such as a wooden stake, cross etc. Keep in mind that specific themes will limit your list.

Identify Your Teams

After dividing your guests into teams, allow them to chose a team name. Fun names such as "The Monsters," "The Mummies," and "The Ghouls" will make the game more fun.

Use Your Yard

If your scavenger hunt is for children, you will probably need to limit the hunt area. Consider using your own yard and hide the items on the list outdoors. Make sure your yard is clean and safe. Don't leave any rakes or objects laying around that they may trip over and make sure you provide adequate lighting.

Alert the Neighborhood

Whether the hunt will involve the neighbors or be limited to your own yard, it's best to let the neighborhood know that you will be having a scavenger hunt on Halloween -- and the approximate time it will be. This way, they can be available to answer the door for items and they won't be alarmed at any ghouls roaming about near their backyard.

Supply Flashlights

Hand out flashlights with fresh batteries to your participants. This will make it much easier for them to navigate and help assure their safety. Look for inexpensive ones in the Halloween seasonal department at your local discount stores.

Supply a Halloween Bag

Give each team some type of sack or bag to put in the items as they are found. Be creative and have them decorated Halloween-style.

Take Pictures

Take pictures of your teams before they leave. If your team members are teenagers or adults, give each team a disposable camera and tell them you need at least 5 pictures as part of the list. They can be of any part of their hunt that they choose -- or have the entire list be of specific items that you have chosen. These could be items hard to bring back, such as a scarecrow or huge pumpkin.

Award Prizes

Present prizes to the winning teams. How many places you want to award is your choice, but the teams will all put forth effort so consider a cool grand prize for first place and unique gag gifts for the other teams. This way everybody wins something.

When planning your next evening scavenger hunt, consider a glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt. There are small tubes and/or bottles of glow-in-the-dark paint available in Walmart's craft department or at many craft stores. I've even found some at the dollar store on occasion. The paint hardly shows when you put it on, so test your items in a dark room before you hide them to see how they look and to be sure they've had enough exposure to light.

Here are just a few ideas to get your creativity and imagination to work.

Paint and Hide Objects
Paint several small objects like a penny, a ruler, an apple, etc. with glow-in-the-dark paint.
Allow the items time to dry and to get plenty of exposure to light.
Make a list to hand out, hide the items and invite your guests to find them at your designated location in a specified amount of time.

Paint and Find Symbols
Paint small symbols like a flower, a letter, a star, a triangle, etc. on various large items around your yard or venue and have your guests try and find where these symbols are located. Give your guests a list of the symbols the need to look for and have them write down on what object these symbols are located (eg. heart symbol is located on the swimming pool).

Scrambled Letters
Paint letters on several different objects around the yard which spell a clue or secret word that the teams have to find the letters for and unscramble. Depending on the age of the participants, you might want to tell your guests how many total letters they are looking for. A good idea is to spell a location where a treat or fun activity is awaiting them.

Money Paint and Find
Paint different denominations of coins and have teams collect a specified amount of money. This will add an extra dimension, since the winner won't necessarily be the team that finds the most coins but the team that finds a total of $5.00 first (or whatever amount you choose).

Glow-in-the-Dark Prize Find
If your budget allows and you don't feel like painting, purchase numerous glow-in the-dark items (eg. bracelets, erasers, balls, tape - available at most dollar stores, novelty stores or party stores). Make up a list, assign a point value for each item and start your hunt. As a bonus, let the teams keep what they find.

Glow-in-the-dark items can be seen everywhere, from concerts to amusement parks, flea markets to your local department store. Whether you choose to use one of these ideas or make up one of your own, know that glow-in-the-dark paint and accessories are always a fun party addition.

Interested in taking this party idea a step further? Have glow-in-the-dark makeup available for your guests to paint their hands and faces. It's fun to see everyone glowing as they're searching for hidden items in the dark.

Eerie music sets the scene to any Halloween event! Spook, scare, and thrill your Halloween party guests with a mix of macabre and fun, party sing-a-long songs. Have fun creating your own Halloween song list! I've compiled a list of some of the best Halloween music out there to get you in the mood to "Shake your GHOULED thang, yeah, yeah!"

 

I Put A Spell On You - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult

Cry Little Sister "The Lost Boys Theme"- Aiden

Dracula's Wedding - Outkast

Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Building A Mystery - Sarah McLachlan

Feed My Frankenstein - Alice Cooper

Bless This House (Carol Anne's Theme) - "Poltergeist Theme"

Lone Wolf - Eels

Monster Mash - Boris Pickett

Depeche Mode - The Sinner In Me

She's Crafty - The Beastie Boys

Devil Woman - Cliff Richard

D.O.A. - Bloodrock

Black Magic Woman - Santana

Zombie Zoo - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Fiend Club - Misfits

Somebody's Watching Me - Maxwell

Scary Scary Halloween - Anonymous

Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon

Witchy Woman - The Eagles

Zombie - The Cranberries

Magic - The Cars

Thriller - Michael Jackson

People Are Strange - The Doors

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police

Tonight Is Halloween

Spooky - Classics 5

Skin and Bones - Raffi

So Alive - Love & Rockets

This Is Halloween - Danny Elfman "Nightmare Before Christmas"

Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson

Strange Music - ELO

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

Monster Squad - "Monster Squad Theme"

"Beetlejuice Theme" - Danny Elfman

Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Nightmare On My Street - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

October - U2

Monsters Live Interesting Lives - Mel Torme

Laurie (Strange Things Happen) - Dickie Lee

In The Year 2525 - Zager & Evans

Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen

In Our Haunted House - Andrew Gold

The Murder Mystery - The Velvet Underground

Hotel California - The Eagles

The Legend of Wooley Swamp - The Charlie Daniels Band

Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.

Highway To Hell - AC/DC

The Hearse Song - Anonymous

Don't Fear The Reaper - The Blue Oyster Cult

Evil Walks - AC/DC

Ghost Riders In The Sky - The Outlaws

The Halloween Song - Al Dana

Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo